Hammer



Aug. 17, 1937. s. s. VAUGHAN HAMMER Filed April 15, 1956 Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES HAMMER Sanford S. Vaughan, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to Vaughan & Bushnell Mfg. (30., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 15,

1 Claim.

The present invention relates generally to hammers for use by carpenters and others in hammering or driving nails and other objects. More particularly the invention relates to that 5 type of hammer which is known as a claw hammer and embodies in addition to a wooden handle with a tapered outer end a one-piece dropforged head comprising an elongated central part having a longitudinal socket or eye therein for the tapered end of the handle, an arcuate or curved claw projecting upwardly and rearwardly from, and formed integrally with, the outer portion of the top wall of the central part, and a substantially cylindrical nail hammering or driving member disposed beneath the outer portion of the bottom wall of the central part and connected thereto by a reduced stemlike part.

As a general rule, in a hammer of this type the outer end of the socket or eye in the central part of the head is flared outwards toa small extent and the head or tapered end of the handle is connected to the head by first driving it through the socket or eye until the end face thereof is substantially flush with the outer end face of the central part of the head and then forcing or driving metal wedges into the extreme outer portion thereof so as to expand the latter into interlocking relation with the outwardly flared outer end of the socket. It has heretofore been found that during drive of the head or tapered end of the handle through the socket or eye the sharp inner edges at the .inner ends of the top, bottom, and sidewalls of the central part of the hammer head dig into the handle and weaken the head end of the latter to such an extent that breakage of the handle is likely to occur during use of the hammer. It

. has also been found that when the head or tapered end of the handle shrinks or contracts as the result of drying out of the wood there is sometimes such looseness between the inner end of the central part of the head and the contiguous portion of the head or tapered end of the handle that thehead is free to pivot relatively to the handle and as a result the head end of the handle is likely to break at a point near or in alignment with the inner end face of the central part of the head during use of the ham mer.

One object of the invention is to provide a hammer of the type under consideration which 1 is less likely to break than, and is generally an improvement upon, previously designed hammers of the same general characterby reason 1936, Serial No. 74,423

of the fact that the inner portions of the top and bottom walls of the elongated central part of the head have centrally positioned, longitudinally extending slots, and as a result the inner portions of the side walls of the central part, flex or spring outwards instead of digging or cutting into the tapered end of the handle during drive thereof into the socket or eye and after outward flexure press inwardly against the sides of the tapered end of the handle and take up any looseness resulting from shrinkage of the handle due to drying out of the wood.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hammer of the last mentioned character in which the slots in the inner portions of the top and bottom walls of the elongated central part of the head are of such character that the inner end of said central part is flexible or resilient to a small extent and will absorb shock during hammering or nail driving operations.

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages and characteristics of the present hammer construction will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by the claim at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification or disclosure and in which like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the severalviews:

Figure 1 is a perspective showing in an inverted position the head of a hammer embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the hammer showing the manner in which the tapered end of the handle issecured within the socket or eye in the elongated central part of the head;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 and illustrating the manner in which the inner portions of the side walls of the central portion of the head press against or engage yieldingly the side faces of the head or tapered end of the handle;

Figure 4 is a similar horizontal sectional view showing the head without the handle and the relative position of the inner portions of the side walls of the central part of the head prior to outward flexure thereof as the result of drive of the tapered end of the handle therebetween; and

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

tral part 8 has a substantially flat outer end face I I and a longitudinally extending rectangular socket or eye I2, and consists of a pair of side walls I3, a top wall I4, and a bottom wall I5. The claw 9 is curved and projects upwardly and rearwardly from, and is formed integrally with, the outer portion of the top wall I4 of the cen-' tral part 8 of the head. It serves as an instrumentality for removing nails and embodies av-shaped cleft I6, and a pair of laterally spaced claw-forming members H. The outer or front face of the claw is in the formof a smooth substantially quadrantal curve and joins and forms a continuation of the outer end face II of the central part 8. The hammering member ID is substantially cylindrical and is disposed beneath the outer portion of the bottom wall I5 of the central part 8 of the head and is connected to the latter by a reduced stem-like part I 8. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, the base portion of the stem-like part I8 is substantially the same in width as the base portion of the claw 9.

The tapered end of thehandle I fits in the socket I2 and the end face thereof is flush with the outer end face of the central part 8 of the head. The outer end of the socket I2 is flared outwards, as shown in Figure 2, and the extreme outer portion of the head or tapered end of the handle! is held in interlocked relation with the outwardly flared outer end of the socket by means of a pair of metal wedges I9. The handle is connected to the head 6 of the hammer by driving the tapered end thereof into the socket I2 until the end face is flush with the end face II of the central part 8 of the head. Thereafter the wedges I9 are driven into the extreme outer portion of the tapered end of-the handle so as to expand the latter into wedged or interlocked relation with the outwardly flared outer end of the socket I2. The outer end of the socket I2 is flared outwardly from a point which substantially coincides with the mid-point of the elongated central part 8 of the head of the hammer. The inner faces of the inner portions of the top and bottom walls I4 and I5 of the central part 8 of the head 6 are outwardly divergent so as to conform to the taper of the top and bottom faces of the tapered or head end of the handle. The inner faces of the inner portions of the top and bottom walls I4 and I5 start to diverge outwardly from the mid-point of the central part 8 of the head of the hammer. Because of this and the fact that the outer end of the socket II is flared outwards from the midpoint of the central part 8 the socket I2 is of medium height at the mid-point of said central part. The outer faces of the inner portions of the top and'bottom walls of the central part of the head of the hammer are outwardly convergent as shown in Figure 2 with the result that the inner portions of the top and bottom walls decrease in height or thickness from a point adjacent to the mid-point of the central part 8 to the inner end edges thereof.

The inner faces of the inner portions of the side and I5 of said central part 8.

walls I 3 are fiat and prior to insertion of the tapered end of the handle into the socket I2 are parallel (see Figure 4). The outer faces of the inner portions of the side walls I3 are outwardly convergent with the result that the inner portions of said side walls decrease in thickness from a point adjacent to the mid-point of the central part 8 of the head of the hammer to the inner end edges thereof.

In order to permit the inner portions of the side walls I3 of the elongated central part 8 of the hammer head to flex or bend outwards to a small extent during drive of the tapered end of the I handle I into the socket I2 slots 20 are formed in the inner portions of the top and bottom walls I4 These slots, as shown in the drawing, are centrally positioned with respect to, and extend longitudinally of, the top and bottom walls. They intersect the inner end edges of said top and bottom walls and extend inwardly from said edges to a point approximately three-quarters of the way to'the .mid-point of the central part 8 at the head of the hammer. As the result of the position and arrangementof the slots '20 the inner portions of the side walls I3 instead of being connected rigidly together through the medium of the top and bottom walls of the central part of the head 6 are yieldable to a limited extent. When the tapered endof the handle is driven into the socket I2 the inner portions of the side walls I3 due to their yieldableness or flexibility are wedged or sprung outwards, as shown in Figure 3, and grip yieldingly and with inward pressure the tapered side faces of the tapered end of the handle. In the event that the tapered end of the handle shrinks as the result of drying out of the wood the inner portions of the side walls of the socketed central part 8 of the head of the hammer move inwards and thus automatically pre-- vent any looseness between the inner end of said central part 8 and the contiguous'portion of the tapered'end of the handle. Due to the yieldableness or flexibility of the inner portions ofthe side walls I3 the inner end edges of such portions are; H r

respect to the top and bottom walls theinnerye portions ofthe latter are of split or sectional formation and are sufficiently yieldable so that they give to a certain extent and absorb shock during hammering or nail removing operations; Ina

hammer of normal size the slots 20 are made approximately three-quarters of an inch long. With slots of this length the inner portions of the side walls of the socketed central part of the hammer head can be sprung outwards five or six times the distance or amount of handle shrinkage without exceeding the elastic limit of the steel. By reason of the fact that the slots 20 extend but three.- quarters of the way to the mid-point the inner portions of the side walls I3 of the central part of the head of the hammer are yieldable or flex-:-

in that the tapered end thereof cannot become loose within the socket and the shocks imparted thereto during a hammering or nail withdrawal operation are absorbed by the split inner portions of the top and bottom walls of the socketed central part 8 of the head.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A claw hammer comprising a wooden handle with a tapered end, and a one piece metallic head composed of a nail withdrawing claw at the top thereof, a hammering part at the bottom, and an elongated central part having a longitudinal rectangular open ended socket therethrough in which the tapered end of the handle is driven and fits, and consisting of a pair of side walls and top and bottom walls extending between the side walls and having the claw and hammering part connected respectively to the outer portions thereof and having in their inner portions narrow substantially centrally positioned slots extending inwardly from the inner edges thereof for a substantial distance and serving to permit the inner portions of the side walls to flex laterally to such an extent that during drive of the tapered end of the handle into the socket they are caused to be sprung outwardly into a position wherein they press inwardly against the sides of the tapered end of the handle and automatically take up any looseness resulting from shrinkage of said end of the handle.

SANFORD S. VAUGHAN. 

